La Mesa has reaffirmed its ban on children under 12 riding e-bikes, but the vote has renewed debate over whether the policy actually addresses the root cause of safety concerns on the city’s streets.
The City Council’s vote Tuesday mirrored the outcome of a unanimous decision passed in mid-April — with only one councilmember — Laura Lothian — changing her position.
The ban aligns La Mesa with several other San Diego County cities that have adopted similar ordinances under the San Diego Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program laid out in Assembly Bill No. 2234, allowing any city in the county to prohibit riders under 12 from operating a Class 1 or 2 e-bike, which can up to 20 miles per hour…